At Oslo climate conference…
– almost US$4B has so far been pledged
PRESIDENT Bharrat Jagdeo was among Heads of State and government, including ministers and other representatives of 50 countries, who met on Thursday last, and concluded an agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation. Around US$4 billion has so far been pledged for the period 2010–2012 for measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries.
A news report issued by the Government Information Agency (GINA) last evening said this figure is expected to rise in the weeks ahead.
“Measures to reduce deforestation are the quickest and least expensive way of achieving large emission cuts. At today’s meeting, around 50 countries agreed on a framework for the rapid implementation of measures for reducing deforestation. This could be an important step forward in the run-up to the climate negotiations in Mexico later this year,” said Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg at the Oslo Climate and Forest Conference on Thursday.
President Jagdeo was one of eight Heads of Government to speak at the conference.
In his introductory remarks, Norwegian Minister of the Environment, Erik Solheim, highlighted Guyana’s efforts to shape the world’s response to deforestation and said that “when history is written, it will record President Jagdeo as one of the founding fathers of REDD”.
The global forest partnership that was established in Oslo marks the start of closer global cooperation on reducing deforestation and forest degradation in tropical developing countries.
The partnership will support and contribute to the UNFCCC process. It will also promote transparency around financing and existing and new international initiatives to reduce deforestation and degradation of tropical forests.
Germany, France, Norway, the U.S., Britain, Australia and Japan pledged $4 billion to finance REDD Plus through 2012, with Denmark and Sweden adding $73 million more to the effort on Thursday.
Other commitments are still being finalized.
Indonesia’s President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the commitments would “decrease a trust deficit” that has stymied progress in wider climate talks, as wealthy countries express concern about how aid money is used in poor nations.
“Forests are worth more dead than alive. Today we commit to change that equation,” said Prime Minister Stoltenberg, who was co-chairing the conference with the Indonesian president.
President Jagdeo and Prime Minister Stoltenberg also held separate talks to discuss progress on the Copenhagen Accord’s commitment to raise US$100 billion by 2020.
GINA reported that the President and Prime Minister, along with the British and Ethiopian leaders were asked by UN Secretary General, Ban ki-Moon, to act on his behalf in examining proposals to advance the battle against climate change, beyond their existing work on forestry.
President Jagdeo and Mexican Secretary for Environment and Natural Resources, Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada met to discuss the Interim REDD Partnership and the upcoming climate conference in Cancun, Mexico.
“As the host of the next Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC, we wholeheartedly support this initiative. In our view, concrete initiatives where developed and developing countries cooperate on reducing greenhouse gas emissions are essential for the success of the UNFCCC negotiations,” said the Mexican Secretary for Environment, who was present at the conference.
In addition to heads of state and government and ministers from a number of key countries, the Oslo Conference also brought together the heads of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), representatives of the World Bank and the regional development banks, and representatives of indigenous peoples and civil society.
The Prince of Wales and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai also attended and expressed their strong support for the partnership.
Around US$4 billion has now been earmarked for measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, and partners have expressed their willingness to scale up financing substantially after 2012 provided that sufficient emission reductions are achieved.
Agreement has been reached on important principles, such as the inclusion of representatives of relevant stakeholders including indigenous peoples. An organisational framework has also been established for the partnership, as well as secretariat services, which will be provided jointly by the UN and the World Bank.
In a statement of support, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon thanked Norway for hosting the conference and commended Prime Minister Stoltenberg for his visionary leadership in this field.
In a packed itinerary, President Jagdeo discussed matters of climate change and deforestation with other leaders, including President Yudhoyono of Indonesia, who on Thursday, signed a US$1 billion forestry protection deal with Norway.
This deal builds on the existing agreements with Guyana and Norway, and the three countries will work within the new Interim REDD Partnership as the schemes move to implementation.
Guyana’s Head of State also met with the Presidents of the Congo and Gabon, who stated their desire to send teams to learn from Guyana’s forest protection model.
He also met with France’s Minister of Forest, where they discussed the potential for co-operation between the European Union and South America.
President Jagdeo also reviewed progress with His Royal Highness, Prince Charles, who according to President Jagdeo, “was instrumental in making all of this happen since he hosted leaders from the G20 and three non-G20 countries including Guyana, at a meeting to discuss how to take immediate action to reverse deforestation.”
In a closed meeting, the Prince and President Jagdeo “took stock of how far things had come in the past year”.